From the Sang’gres of Encantadia, to the Elves of Lord of the Rings, the fantasy, folklore and fairytale theme of “Once Upon a Time: Shake, Rattle and Ball” Halloween party of celebrity eventologist, model and TV host Tim Yap was followed to the core by its celebrity and influencer guests, with Yap himself making his iconic dramatic entrance as a ghost project — complete with a rain and flooding of play money.

In his speech at the party last 30 October, Tim called on everyone to support everyone organizing Halloween parties, including his rumored rival Raymond Gutierrez.

“So you know, to stage a Halloween ball is not easy,” Yap professed. “So for people who do it, to bring us all together, let’s give everybody a warm round of applause!”

A day before Yap’s “Once Upon a Time” party was multimedia celebrity Raymond Gutierrez’s “New Nocturnals” Halloween Ball, which Yap attended.

“You know yesterday, I was at ‘New Nocturnals,’ and it was amazing!” Yap declared.

In an exclusive interview with DAILY TRIBUNE, Raymond reacted to the frequent comparison between his and Tim’s Halloween parties.

“Tim and I are friends. He came to my party and I support his, so yeah, we support each other,” he said.

When asked for the concept behind his costume at Yap’s party, Raymond said: “Comfort! I just want to be comfortable. I know there’s a lot of what’s going to happen tonight. I’m here to support Tim!”

After the red carpet, the rest of the night ensued with live performances from TikTok-famous rappers and other performers, disc jockey sets, feasts featuring different cuisine corners, drinks served by baristas in monk and nun costumes to complement the old cathedral a la Hunchback of Notre Dame scenery; and awarding of best-dressed winners that include beauty queens like Michelle Dee as a “high-fashion horror” figure; social media superstar Niana Guerrero dresses as a fairy; and actresses like Andrea Brillantes, who came as a pink alien version of herself. 

As prizes, the best-dressed received travel packages, business-class tickets, mobile bar sponsorships, gift certificates and cash ranging from P50,000 to P100,000.

Actress Anne Curtis and pop star Jackson Wang also dropped by.

“Halloween isn’t just about costumes,” Yap said in an audio-visual presentation. 

“Why do what we do and why we’re here year in and year out even if sometimes, we’re tired, even if there’s so many things happening, but we’ve committed to this every year. It has become a tradition that we all gather together as a creative community to be able to express ourselves. It’s about breaking the rules and creating looks for one unforgettable night.”